The importance of edge fidelity in two-dimensional (2D) image interpolation is well established, especially in fields like medical imaging, where clarity is of utmost importance to allow for reliable diagnoses and proper courses of action. Isophotes, or connected pixels of equal intensity, are essential to human perception of static images. Interpolation methods that disrupt isophote curvatures produce distracting artifacts. Classical interpolation methods determine new data based on the immediate neighborhood, and thus assumes that pixels are spatially related to each other, without considering how pixels relate structurally to each other.
Accordingly, a need exists for imaging methods and systems that process images based on structural relationships between pixels for better fidelity, for example, when magnifying images, rather than prior methods that blindly assume that pixels being processed share relevant spatial relationships between each other.
The methods and systems presented herein, based on optical flow vectors within the same image for local ispohote trajectories, and one-dimensional interpolation along such vectors, serves to identify relevant structural relationship between the pixels being processed to generate better results in terms of, for example, peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR), than other interpolation methods such as new edge-directed interpolation (NEDI) and improved NEDI (iNEDI).
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawing figures herein illustrate the general manner of construction, and descriptions and details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention. Additionally, elements in the drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention. The same reference numerals in different figures denote the same elements.
The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments described herein are, for example, capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. Furthermore, the terms “include,” and “have,” and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, article, device, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, system, article, device, or apparatus.
The terms “left,” “right,” “front,” “back,” “top,” “bottom,” “over,” “under,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing permanent relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the invention described herein are, for example, capable of operation in other orientations than those illustrated or otherwise described herein.
The terms “couple,” “coupled,” “couples,” “coupling,” and the like should be broadly understood and refer to connecting two or more elements or signals, electrically, mechanically or otherwise. Two or more electrical elements may be electrically coupled, but not mechanically or otherwise coupled; two or more mechanical elements may be mechanically coupled, but not electrically or otherwise coupled; two or more electrical elements may be mechanically coupled, but not electrically or otherwise coupled. Coupling (whether mechanical, electrical, or otherwise) may be for any length of time, e.g., permanent or semi-permanent or only for an instant.
“Electrical coupling” and the like should be broadly understood and include coupling involving any electrical signal, whether a power signal, a data signal, and/or other types or combinations of electrical signals. “Mechanical coupling” and the like should be broadly understood and include mechanical coupling of all types. The absence of the word “removably,” “removable,” and the like near the word “coupled,” and the like does not mean that the coupling, etc. in question is or is not removable.